Born in Peckville, she was the daughter of the late Theodore F. Sr. and Ann Helene Miserak Cherochak and was a graduate of Valley View High School class of 1974. She was a member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Peckville. She began her career as a medical receptionist for local doctors and worked for several years as a medical transcriptionist in the radiology department at Mid-Valley Hospital and was also employed by the Lackawanna County Health Care Center as a receptionist.

Karen's family would like to thank the staff from Hospice of the Sacred Heart & Commonwealth Hospice for the excellent care they provided.